RachelWatch: Rachel Fights the Revisionists

Today: Rachel interviews abortion provider Dr. Leroy Carhart, points out that Ted Kennedy was not a centrist, and continues to be amazed and enchanted by Michael Steele.

Things Fall Apart

Rachel, still bravely battling a touch of the flu, started us off with RNC chairman Michael Steele’s adjective-defying interview on National Public Radio Thursday morning. Does he not know that you can practice before the interview, and that it might be a good idea to practice with someone who pretends to disagree with you?

In his own special way, Steele is a national treasure. Or at least a national clearinghouse of demonstrably false statements.

Threat Level

If there is one bit of 80’s nostalgia I do not need, it’s Randall Terry screaming on the news again. And yet, there he is.

Rachel pointed out that Operation Rescue, the organization Terry helped found, is now sending out some pretty damned scary literature that specifically names women’s health care provider Dr. Leroy Carhart, who bravely went on the air to talk about the planned protest of his clinic this weekend.

I was heartened by the number of people who were offended enough by Tiller’s murder to ask for training in late-term procedures. While I respect the principles of the pro-life movement, these terrorist tactics have nothing to do with principles.

How does one rectify being so disingenuous about death when it’s your one big issue? Cherishing the sanctity of all human life except for people you really disagree with doesn’t cut it.

And are true spiritual warriors supposed to be that coy with the literature they’re passing out? Doesn’t that sort of thing make you more of a spiritual spinner? Do you get the same neato box seats in Heaven for that?

Ms. Information

Remember how we were supposed to let all of those inconvenient revelations about our country’s torture program slide because, hey, it was so very long ago?

And a bunch of conservative pundits who spent the six months leading up to the election screaming about Bill Ayers suddenly developed a Zen appreciation for letting go of the past and living entirely in the present moment?

Rachel reported on new revelations that the CIA was using extreme sleep deprivation — up to five or six days at a time — as late as November 2007. Is that recent enough for anyone to get concerned about? It’s certainly more recent than several measures the government took to make it very illegal.

Rachel also noted that the new, terribly grassroots organization FACES (the Federation for American Coal, Energy, and Security) seems to have put down most of its roots in the stock photo modeling industry.

And then the eight-year-old that lives inside her popped out and made her say that she hopes there’s not a European branch. Well played, ma’am. And ew.

Revisionist History

Rachel gave us an update on the tragically ironic news that some Republicans are now claiming that they totally would have voted for health care this time around if only Ted Kennedy were alive.

Wow. They were finally ready after only 40 years of resisting his efforts. What a cruel trick of fate!

But now they couldn’t possibly vote that way. They just couldn’t. We can all see the logic of that, right?

Oh, well. See you in another 40, everyone!

Rachel also took issue with the idea that Kennedy shouldn’t be called a liberal, and with the idea that being a liberal is at all a bad thing.

One More Thing:

U.S. News suggested that Mitt Romney (R – No longer of Massachusetts) might go up for Kennedy’s Senate seat.

Apparently someone’s flu meds should have “blunt assessment of questionable ideas” listed as a side effect.

American Liberal

Rachel drove a few choice nails into the attempts at creating a “Ted Kennedy the Centrist Who Was Never Ever Ever a Librul” myth by running a recently rediscovered keynote speech on civil rights from 1968.

If you’re interested, you can download it from Alaska’s state archives. It’s pretty cool.